New Throsby primary school designed to keep out bushfire smoke while being carbon neutral

The ACT government has lodged the development application for the school in Throsby, which is expected to open in 2022.

The school will cost $43.9 million and be built to cater for 450 kindergarten to year 6 students plus 123 preschool students, with space to grow with the population.

If the development application is approved, construction will begin in September.

Education Minister Yvette Berry said the territory's 90^th school would be another zero-emissions school featuring solar panels and airtight buildings.

"That also ensures that even in bushfires when we experienced those terrible smoky days that these schools are able to manage that because there's no air coming in and no air escaping from the schools," she said.

The school will include a large community room and kitchenette, multipurpose double gym, sports courts and change-room facilities, outdoor turf sports field and outdoor multipurpose hard courts.

Ms Berry said it was important that these facilities would be open and accessible to the local community outside of school hours.

The Throsby school is part of the government's plan to keep up with growing demand in Gungahlin.

A new high school in Kenny to cater for up to 800 students from years 7 to 10 is expected to come online in 2023.

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Capacity at Franklin School, formerly Franklin Early Childhood School, will be increased to 600 primary students by 2022.

The same year an extra 200 places will be available at the Gold Creek School Senior campus.

The Throsby school has been designed to facilitate the ACT's future of education strategy, based on a student-centred approach.

The Education Minister said the design of the school campus would allow for teachers to work in teams with the potential for composite classes with a mix of year levels.

"Teaching doesn't happen by one person on their own. It has a significant impact on a person's chance to have a great and successful life but that happens by working together and that's what our schools are all about."